Many superdelegates delay deciding on a candidate

Adam Nagourney and Farhana Hossain, New York Times

Published
4:00 am PST, Sunday, February 17, 2008

The dwindling group of elected officials and party leaders publicly undecided in the Democratic presidential contest - about 300 out of the 795 so-called superdelegates who may determine the party's nominee - includes at least 30 who have a long and often personal history with the Clinton family.

But more than 100 of them are from states whose voters have spoken in primaries and caucuses and voted, often overwhelmingly, for Sen. Barack Obama. And in a year when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has drawn much of her strength from female voters, there are nearly twice as many men as women who remain undecided.

Even at a time when Clinton is struggling to hold on to the superdelegates she has, both candidates view the remaining 300 delegates who have not taken sides as likely the most critical audience they are competing for in the months ahead. The campaigns provided an internal list of their superdelegate supporters to the New York Times, providing a basis for drawing a portrait of an electorate that in many ways marks the final contest of the nominating battle.

Neither Clinton nor Obama is expected to win the 2,025 delegates needed to claim the nomination before the end of the voting season, so they will need the support of superdelegates to get over the top.

The delegates are under no obligation to vote as they say they will. Already, they are showing a willingness to change their minds, as Clinton was reminded when Rep. John Lewis of Georgia switched course and said he would vote for Obama at the convention.

"I'm joining the witness protection program," said Debbie Kozikowski, an undecided superdelegate from Massachusetts, a state that Hillary Clinton won. "I told President Clinton on Sunday night when he called here that I remained uncommitted. I told him I appreciated him calling. But even he is not going to get me to do something."

This universe of undecided superdelegates includes 46 members of Congress who have received a total of $333,900 in contributions from a political action committee set up by Obama. Yet it also includes a handful of Democrats who have been reliable donors to Clinton campaigns, giving Hillary Clinton's aides some hope as they plow through a daily roster of telephone calls.

Clinton's list shows the extent to which she has benefited from being part of the first family of Democratic politics for more than 15 years. Her superdelegate base includes 12 senators, compared with eight for Obama, and 72 House members, compared with 62 for Obama. And she has the support of at least five former leaders of the Democratic National Committee, along with nearly 150 Democratic National Committee members, compared with 87 for Obama.

Obama is enjoying support from elected officials from red and swing states, reflecting what his advisers said was the political judgment of attuned Democrats in states such as Kansas and North Dakota who are worried that having Clinton at the top of the ticket could complicate things for their candidates.

And while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco has said she would not endorse, key members of her California congressional circle have rallied around Obama, including Rep. George Miller of Martinez, who keeps watch on Pelosi's political interests.

That has hardly escaped the notice of the 86 House Democrats who have not announced their position. Based on the lists provided by the campaigns, Clinton now has 256 superdelegates and Obama 170. That does not count superdelegates from Michigan and Florida, whose delegations are the focus of a dispute; the Democratic National Committee has said it would not seat their delegates because they held their primaries early, in defiance of Democratic National Committee rules.

Being essentially political creatures, these superdelegates are more prone to factor political considerations into their deliberations. That has been something of a problem for Clinton. As Obama has swept to victory in primaries and caucuses over the past week, and as polls suggest he is becoming in an increasingly strong candidate in the race, he has drained the clout of the Clinton campaign as it has sought to nail down commitments.

In interviews, several superdelegates said they would wait at least until March 4, when Ohio and Texas vote, in hopes of getting a better sense of the play of the field before deciding whom to support.